Rupert Murdoch made a bold and, what some consider, sensitive decision to drop the OJ Simpson book and interview special. Bowing to public uproar and complaints, he reaffirmed the precedent of media treatment towards Mr. Simpson in place since the globally televised verdict. Book the Juice and then back away when the lightning bolt shorts out the switchboards. Right now, the OJ walked story in first person is not safe, or even feasible, prime-time subject matter. True, OJ is free to live his life, sign autographs, spend his protected retirement money, but the public does not stomach his face on a big screen–even after eleven years of quiet time.
And sentiment might not shift quickly. Or ever.
If he did it, maybe being the most infamous man in the world who can’t get an interview is part of his punishment. That the people on the other side of that big glowing box don’t want him inside their living room, laptop or iPod, just might be the image haunting him most of all.